Book offers empathy and hope

Local author shines light of laughter on cancer experience

JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer

Local singer Jettie Kootman, like most women diagnosed with breast cancer, hadn't planned on getting sick. She had a thriving career; a family including her husband Rick and two children, Drew and Brooke; and a life filled with activities. Cancer definitely wasn't going to fit in her schedule.

But when Kootman was diagnosed with breast cancer on May 15, 2003, she began a journey that culminated in a message of empathy and hope to other cancer-affected women - her second book, "Breast Cancer-The Ultimate Booby Trap: Shining the Light of Laughter on a Serious Subject," (Desert Cactus Publishing, $14.95 paperback).

Through the diagnosis, treatment and recovery stages of her illness, Kootman struggled to stay upbeat for herself and the people she loves.

"I only knew one way to deal with this devastating news - laughter," she recalls.
The result of Kootman's "keep laughing" approach is the slim volume filled with the hopes, fears and laughs Kootman recorded during her illness and recovery. Broken down into poems and small journal entries called "notes," the book carries the reader through a wide range of emotions.

She began writing what would eventually become "Breast Cancer" after her first doctor's visit, discovering a lump in her breast. The doctor and staff were cold and uncomforting in the face of Kootman's fears.

"I did not have a good experience," she says. "I came home and I was so angry about how I was treated that I just started writing."

The resulting poem, called "Sign on the Dotted Line," reflects Kootman's frustration with the impersonal treatment she received: "Detached and impersonal; just everyday stuff/The staff seems oblivious that your life is so tough/Knock me out; cut me open; sew me up - good as new/There is nothing routine when it's happening to you."

As Kootman realized the therapeutic value of her writing, she began to chronicle more of her feelings and experiences.

In the beginning of her illness, Kootman worried that her illness would be fatal. She writes, "In spite of my optimism, there were times when I had some very low points. Fears of death and dying often consumed me. I even had a few nights when I laid awake thinking about my funeral and how I would like to be remembered. These were pretty scary times."

Still, the experience of having cancer brought Kootman closer to her family, friends and even her dog. In the poem "Mail Call," she expresses the feelings of love and support she experienced every time she received a get-well or "thinking of you" card, while in "My Doggie and Me" she reveals a bond between her and the family pet, Barkley: "My doggie and me have more in common, you see/When you cut us right down to the core/Cause my doggie and me both have cancer, you see/And now we're closer than ever before."

After Kootman received surgery to remove her tumor, she opted against chemotherapy and began radiation treatments.

"Choosing whether or not to do chemotherapy was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and to this day, I do not know if I made the right choice," she says. After radiation, she began taking medication and transitioning into her recovery phase.

The last section of the book, "What Lies Ahead - Happy Endings," reflects Kootman's positive outlook for the future: "I'm so glad to be here and just be alive/And I'll face every day/With the will to survive."

Kootman's message to her readers who are also dealing with breast cancer is two-fold. "I hope the other women out there realize they're not alone. We all have these fears, and although everyone's experience is different, we all have a common bond. I hope they realize that and can say, 'Wow, someone else went through this and got through it, and she's doing fine now.'
"Also, I'd like them to ask questions. Get a second opinion. Get a third opinion. Ask questions and do your homework."

Kootman will be signing "Breast Cancer-The Ultimate Booby Trap" at Barnes and Noble in Scottsdale on Friday, May 7. For more information about her or the book, visit www.desertcactuspublishing.com.

Details

What: Jettie Kootman book signing for "Breast Cancer-The Ultimate Booby Trap"
When: 7 p.m. Friday, May 7
Where: Barnes & Noble, 10500 N. 90th St., Scottsdale
Call: 480-391-0048

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